Overview

The Organization

Ol Pejeta Conservancy (“Ol Pejeta”) is home to a key-one population of the Critically Endangered eastern black rhino, and to the last two northern white rhinos in the world. It is the only place in Kenya to see chimpanzees, in a sanctuary established to rehabilitate animals rescued from the black market. It has some of the highest predator densities in Kenya, and still manages a very successful livestock programme. Ol Pejeta also seeks to support the people living around its borders, to ensure wildlife conservation translates to better education, healthcare and infrastructure for the next generation of wildlife guardians.

We are seeking a high calibre, self – motivated and dedicated applicant to fill the position of Programme Funding Manager.

Role summary

Position: Programme Funding Manager

Department: Fundraising & Communications – Programme Funding

Duration: Permanent

Location: UK

Closing date: 1st October 2023

Based in the UK, the successful candidate will be responsible for leading Ol Pejeta’s programme fundraising by identifying new donors, building relationships with new and existing donors, and developing high quality prospecting / pitch materials and proposals. Securing unrestricted / core cost / CAPEX funding from Trusts and Foundations, Institutions and Corporate partners will be a priority for this role.

Responsibilities focus on pipeline & proposal development and include:

  • Support the development of a methodology for donor mapping.
  • Implement that methodology to regularly map funding opportunities that align with Ol Pejeta’s programmes, ensuring a steady pipeline of fundraising opportunities.
  • Develop an approach to categorize donors based on factors that might influence Ol Pejeta’s approach to seeking funding.
  • Lead annual network mapping exercises to identify connections that might be leveraged as part of a funding approach.
  • Identify networks / platforms used by trusts, foundations, corporate and institutional donors that Ol Pejeta might be able to join or engage with, to raise our visibility among these donor groups.
  • Develop a strategy for targeting organisational donors that effectively communicates our work, our funding needs / “ask”, maximizing our chances of securing funding / donations.
  • Support the Program Development and Funding Lead to develop and regularly update short project briefs to be shared with prospective donors.
  • Work in collaboration with the rest of the Partnership Funding team to deliver quality proposals that secure multi-year funding for Ol Pejeta.
  • Identify and cultivate new partnerships that position Ol Pejeta for new funding opportunities, either as the lead, or a partner within consortium bids.
  • Support the management of existing partnerships to identify new opportunities for collaboration, ensuring the best interests of Ol Pejeta are always represented.
  • Monitor compliance with grant terms and conditions.     

Education and qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree or similar qualification in Conservation, Natural Resource Management or related discipline.
  • Excellent verbal and written communication with fluency in English.

Essential skills, knowledge, and experience

  • Demonstratable experience raising funds (>US$1m per year) from a wide range of donors, including Trusts and Foundations, Corporates, and government donors such as USAID, EU etc.
  • Experience of raising funds for conservation activities in East Africa (Kenya preferred).
  • Extensive working knowledge of both Microsoft 365 and Google productivity apps.
  • Excellent writing and presentation skills.
  • Experience of budget design and management.
  • Excellent planning, coordination and reporting skills with demonstrated ability to work under pressure and to tight deadlines.
  • Strong interpersonal skills, including ability to communicate with a wide range of stakeholders.
  • Ability to develop and sustain strong working relationships.
  • Self-motivated, independent and resourceful.
  • Adept at prioritising needs, you are happy taking the initiative to get things done and thrive in a busy environment.
  • A ‘can-do’ and agile attitude, ability to problem solve and adaptive thinking.
  • The right to live and work in the United Kingdom.

Desirable skills, knowledge, and experience

  • Master’s degree is an advantage.
  • Knowledge of conservation activities in Kenya / East Africa.
  • Project management qualification.

Are you the right person for the job? Please read the full job description carefully before you apply. Please address the person specification in your application as it enables us to identify the skills, knowledge and experience you have to be able to do the job effectively.

Please check your application and make sure you meet all the essential criteria listed, in addition your application will be stronger if you meet at least some of the desirable criteria.

Ol Pejeta welcomes applications from all sections of the community and promotes diversity.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applications, consisting of covering letter explaining why you feel you should be considered for this post, a full CV and contact details for two referees should be sent to gail.thacker@olpejetaconservancy.org. Please note, only applications that total no more than five pages in length for the CV and cover letter together will be considered.

The closing date for applications is 1st October 2023.

NOTE: ONLY SUCCESSFUL CANDIDATES WILL BE CONTACTED. Regrettably, due to limited resources and the high number of applications we receive, we are only able to contact short-listed candidates. If you do not hear from us within four weeks of the closing date, please assume that you have not been successful on this occasion.

OL PEJETA CONSERVANCY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.